Utilization of a freestanding emergency center by patients with and without private physicians

We assessed the impact of a freestanding emergency center (FEC) on alternative sources of care for minor illness and injury by comparing patients who named a personal physician with those who did not, with regard to time of arrival and type of complaint (injury vs illness). Of 932 patients attending an Akron, Ohio, FEC during the study period, 71% named a primary care physician. These patients came proportionately more often with injury than did patients without a physician, and also presented more frequently with illness at times when their physicians were typically unavailable. By contrast, there was no distinction between the two groups with respect to time of arrival for treatment of injury. We concluded that the FEC may compete largely with the hospital emergency department in the treatment of patients with minor injury. In the case of patients with illness, the FEC vies with both the emergency department and the private physician.